Now to return a little backward; while I was Refident at Cambridge, which I was in all about 17 Years, I obferved great Defects and Disorders in the Conftitution of our College of ClareHall, as alfo in that of the University in general. And I accordingly drew up two Papers, the one under the Title of Emendanda in Collegio, the other of Emendanda in Academia; the former Paper, which was of lefs Confequence, I have not preserved, but the latter of greater Confequence I have by me, and, as improved a little afterward, ftood thus Ver batim.

Emendanda in Academia.

(See Parfons Advice to a Roman Catholick King of England.)

All Old Statutes to be repealed: Yet fo that their

ufeful Parts be taken into the New Statutes;

and the Defigns of the Founders preferved, as much as may be.

The New Statutes to be

Few in Number: "

Plain in Words:"

Practicable in Quality:

Known by all.

No more than one Civil Oath, that of Allegiance, to be imposed.

Penalties and not Oaths to be Securities in all other

Cafes.

No more than one Ecclefiaftical Subscription to be impofed, that to the original Baptifmal Profeffion; with the owning the facred Authority

of

of the Books of the Old and New Teftament; and this only on Students in Divinity. Civil Authority and Courts to be put into the Hands of proper Perfons, diftinct from the Univerfity: With one Appeal to the Judges, and all to be governed by the Common Law. Vifitors to be appointed where there are none; but still with one Appeal to the Judges. Expences to be limited within certain Bounds. Particular Tutors in Colleges to be appointed by the Master, and to unite in common for the teaching that particular Science they are beft acquainted with.

Publick Profeffors to confent to the Master's Appointment; and to be Overseers to all those Tutors and Pupils in their own Faculties; and to examine the Scholars every Year, to fee what Proficiency they have made the foregoing Year.

Rewards or Privileges to be allotted to the beft Scholars upon fuch Examination, and the grofly idle, ignorant, and vicious not to advance in ftanding, till they have made fome competent Proficiency.

All Elections into Scholarships and Fellowships to be after open Examination and Trial, as to Learning; as well as full Teftimony as to Morals. And the Times for fuch Election to be known long beforehand, and fixed in the Statutes,

Vifitors

Vifitors may openly examine again upon Complaints; and in notorious Cafes may alter the

Election.

Defert for Learning and Morals; Fitness for the Duty; and cæteris paribus, Want the only Qualifications for free Elections, viz. in all fuch Cafes as are without Propriety.

No Perfons to interpofe to hinder the Freedom of Elections. And the Procurers of Letters from great Men to be incapable.

No prefent Poffeffors to be difplac'd; [upon a Vifitation of the University:] Otherwise than according to their former Statutes, or thofe of the Realm.

Fellowships to be annually diminished, if not vacated, after a certain Number of Years; excepting [Heads of Colleges] Tutors, and Profeffors. And this for the Advantage of fending Men into the World while they may be useful, and the procuring a quicker Succeffion.

Heads of Colleges and Profeffors to be chofen as now; but from any College or Place whatfoever, and to be approved by the Bishop of the Diocefe where the Founder lived: And in all Royal Foundations by the King. Difcipline to be ftrict, but not rigorous, Prayers

not to be too long, nor too early: Short Prayers at nine at Night in Winter, and ten in Summer, for all to be prefent at.

Scholars to be encouraged to do their Duty rather

than forced, efpecially in the cafe of the Communion, which fhould at least be Monthly.

Fellows

Fellows to be obliged to frequent the publick Worship as well as the Scholars.

The College Servants to be inftructed and Catechized, either in their feveral Parishes, or Colleges, and to frequent the Prayers.

Scholaftick Difputations about modern Controverfies in Divinity, to be changed into Lec

tures on the Scriptures, or most primitive Writers, &c.

Preachers not to meddle with State Affairs farther

than the Gofpel directly requires or allows. No modern Systems of Divinity to be followed; but the original Languages of the Bible, and most ancient Authors, with fuch later Helps as are neceffary to the Understanding of them, to be recommended. Admiffions into Colleges to be better taken Care of. No uncertain Systems of Philofophy to be recomAmended; but Mathematicks, and Experiments to be prefer❜d.

2

None in Holy Orders, nor Under-graduates to go to Taverns or publick Houfes at all, without particular Bufinefs with Strangers there, and at early Hours. Others to be restrained from much frequenting the fame, ...

All Under-graduates to be in their feveral Colleges by nine at Night in Winter, and ten in Summer: And all Graduates within an Hour af

ter.

New Galleries to be built at St. Mary's to hold all the Scholars, and the Colleges to go thither on Lord's-Days in Order, as they do now to Clerums.

None

None to have Teftimonials for Orders till they have ftudied the Scriptures and Antiquity. for three Years.

No Treats for Degrees to exceed a certain fmall Sum, to be fixed for them.

All pecuniary Punishments to go to the CharitySchools, or Poor of the Parishes in Cambridge.

April 15, 1717.

But to proceed :

WILL. WHISTON.

While I was an Undergraduate at Cambridge, I ufed to note down the Heads of the Sermons I heard there, with the Preachers Names, and the Opinion I then had of their Performances, which I have ftill by me. In which I had a peculiar Regard for those preached by Mr. afterward Bishop Fleetwood, by Mr. Gervafe Needham, of Emanuel College, at St. Mary's, and at Sturbridge Fair, and a fingle Sermon of Dr. Gouge's (the Son of that Mr. Gouge, the Apostle of the Welch, whofe Funeral Sermon was preached by Archbishop Tillotson) before the University at St. Mary's, Feb. 8, 1690-1691.

And fince I have ftill preferved ten Religious Meditations of mine, which I wrote in the five first Years of my refiding in Cambridge, between 1686 and 1691, I shall here infert them.